This newest interactive outing will please Bizzy Bear’s fans and win him some new pint-sized admirers to boot.
Bizzy Bear and his bunny friend spend an exciting day in a dinosaur theme park.
Like the other successful titles featuring Bizzy Bear (Knight’s Castle, 2015, etc.), this one depends on catchy, singsong rhymes and interactivity produced by the strategic placement of sliders and pull-tabs to capture that most elusive of beasts—the toddler’s attention. The story follows Bizzy and bunny as they enter the park, follow some large footprints, feed some roughage to a cheerful-looking red dinosaur, watch a little pink creature hatch from an egg, and finally, enjoy some grub at the Dino Diner. Toddlers will no doubt enjoy being at the center of the action as they operate the easy-to-grasp pull-tabs and sliders to make the dinosaurs move about. The detailed, boldly colored digital illustrations are also cleverly designed to pique toddlers’ interest, and the short rhyming verses—while neither subtle nor sophisticated—serve to keep the story moving at a brisk pace. Companion title Space Rocket, also boasting an interactive element on every double-page spread, follows Bizzy as he leaves Earth in a rocket to explore outer space.
This newest interactive outing will please Bizzy Bear’s fans and win him some new pint-sized admirers to boot. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Sept. 8, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-7636-8170-8
Page Count: 8
Publisher: Nosy Crow
Review Posted Online: Sept. 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A pleasant holiday spent with a perfectly charming character.
One of Boynton's signature characters celebrates Halloween.
It's Halloween time, and Pookie the pig is delighted. Mom helps the little porker pick out the perfect Halloween costume, a process that spans the entire board book. Using an abcb rhyme scheme, Boynton dresses Pookie in a series of cheerful costumes, including a dragon, a bunny, and even a caped superhero. Pookie eventually settles on the holiday classic, a ghost, by way of a bedsheet. Boynton sprinkles in amusing asides to her stanzas as Pookie offers costume commentary ("It's itchy"; "It's hot"; "I feel silly"). Little readers will enjoy the notion of transforming themselves with their own Halloween costumes while reading this book, and a few parents may get some ideas as well. Boynton's clean, sharp illustrations are as good as ever. This is Pookie's first holiday title, but readers will surely welcome more.
A pleasant holiday spent with a perfectly charming character. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: July 7, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-553-51233-5
Page Count: 18
Publisher: Robin Corey/Random
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
The small size, a predictable winter adventure, and Boynton’s very toddlerlike character make this a fine stocking stuffer...
Seven years after Little Pookie (2011) first appeared, this popular piglet is finally celebrating Christmas.
“Oh Pookie! Come look! It’s beginning to snow,” says a maternal-looking pig. But where did Pookie go? Past the Christmas tree, to put on a snowsuit of course. Pookie’s ever cheerful mama is willing to go out too. After all, “It’s a magical time to be walking with you.” When she observes, “Our noses are frozen. It’s time to go in,” Pookie protests in typical toddler style: “But I’m not c-c-c-cold!” The next three pages highlight indoor holiday preparations—making paper garlands, baking and decorating cookies. The rhyming text mirrors the spare illustrations. A spidery type that emulates handwriting makes it clear when Pookie is speaking. Then “the doorbell is ringing. / Our family and friends have arrived for the singing.” The second-to-last spread shows Pookie, mama, and six other pigs—and Boynton’s requisite chicken—singing (“Con brio”), “MER-RY CHRIST-MAS! MER-RY CHRIST-MAS! AND A HAP-PY NEW YEAR!” Conveniently, this text is placed beneath the musical notation. Finally Pookie hangs a stocking and goes off to bed without any fuss, anticipating presents on Christmas morning.
The small size, a predictable winter adventure, and Boynton’s very toddlerlike character make this a fine stocking stuffer or an ideal Christmas Eve read to share with other little piggies. (Board book. 18 mos.-3)Pub Date: Sept. 18, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5344-3724-1
Page Count: 18
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 15, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2019
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BOOK REVIEW
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